An Adirondack Quest Fulfilled

     I talked a bit in an earlier post about visiting my daughter in upstate New York, so that my husband and I could be at the summit of her 46th and final mountain of the Adirondack High Peaks. For those of you who aren't familiar with the High Peaks region, think back to the 1980 winter olympics at Lake Placid - the High Peaks are the 46 mountains in the surrounding area that are 4000 feet or higher. Serious climbers and hikers from all over consider becoming a 46er an accomplishment, and we are quite proud of Liz.

     She climbed her first 3 in 2008, and then 14 in summer of 2010, 15 in 2011 and the final 14 this summer - taking time in the midst of all that climbing to get her master of science degree in experiential education at Minnesota State University in Mankato. Attached are pictures of almost all of the summits - she doesn't have pix of 1,2,21,23 or 44. (due to some uploading difficulties, a couple are out of order - all pix credited to liz pierson) Some of the climbs are long, quite strenous, and often muddy, but Liz says they are all worth it.

     It is tradition among the 46ers to have friends and family at the summit of their final peak, so Liz chose Whiteface Mountain for her finish, so that George and I could drive to the top. Well, almost to the top - there was a 27 story elevator ride from the parking area to the summit. Additional traditions include the climbers wearing silly and colorful attire (some sillier and more colorful than others as you'll see in the photos), running the last bit of the trail, through a tunnel of the upraised arms of fellow climbers, and attempting to chug a jar of baby food - usually an especially unpleasant flavor, and then finally, the climber is given their offical 46er patch at the summit. My husband and I felt that one more tradition was needed.

     Years ago, we came into possession of a dreadful ceramic rabbit, a garden ornament, and began "deploying the rabbit". Liz put it in the shower and nearly scared George to death. I took it to BCIT, where Liz found it at her computer, wearing a pair of her glasses and its own photo ID. I found it next to one of the turtle ponds, wearing sunglasses and zinc oxide, sitting on a beach towel with a pail and shovel. That raised the bar! George and I moved her car across the street, and in its place in the driveway, we left a wheelbarrow containing car parts, the rabbit and a note. Apparently, the rabbit and his friends had gone out for a night on the town, and left a series of notes sending Liz up and down the street to find her car. We couldn't take it anymore when she was pounding her fist on her own tarp-covered vehicle, demanding that we return the car. It's been years, and she's only just beginning to forgive us for that one.

     We had the rabbit in the field behind her dorm with a "Welcome to Maine" sign her freshman year of college, and got her boss to put it in the storeroom where she worked. When she did an internship at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, we got a co-worker to put the rabbit in the wolf enclosure with a Happy Birthday sign. At that point, we let the rabbit go into retirement, until...

     The rabbit heard us talking about the final peak traditions, and begged to be taken along. So we took him with us to New York, and got one of Liz's friend to put him on the trail a few hundred yards from the summit. The other climbers saw it first, and were all saying, "everyone stop at the rabbit". Liz was confused, thinking that a normal rabbit wouldn't stay still until everyone got there, not thinking of her old friend until she saw him. Fortunately, she kept her sense of humor, and actually carried him as she ran to the summit.

     He really is retired now (I think!) and Liz is on a sabbatical from hiking after her rock climbing accident. However, she still plans on hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rabbit were to turn up along the way to cheer her on.

     For more information about hiking the Adirondacks, or becoming a 46er yourself, visit www.adk.org or www.adk46r.org or you can write to Liz at lizpierson1@gmail.com You should also check out this link: http://pokosummer2012.weebly.com/1/post/2012/07/foggy-finish.html